Summary
The 2005 edition replaces their previous recommendations ''Nomenclature The Red Book of Inorganic Chemistry, IUPAC Recommendations 1990 (Red Book I)'', and "where appropriate" (sic) ''Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry II, IUPAC Recommendations 2000 (Red Book II)''. The recommendations take up over 300 pages''Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry IUPAC Recommendations'' 2005 ed. N. G. Connelly et al. RSC Publishing https://iupac.org/what-we-do/books/redbook/ and the full text can be downloaded from IUPAC. Corrections have been issued. Apart from a reorganisation of the content, there is a new section on organometallics and a formal element list to be used in place ofNaming methods
The recommendations describe a number of different ways in which compounds can be named. These are: *compositional naming (e.g. sodium chloride) *substitutive naming based on parent hydrides (GeCl2Me2 dichlorodimethylgermane) *additive naming ( 3">nFO3fluoridotrioxidomanganese) Additionally there are recommendations for the following: *naming of cluster compounds *allowed names for inorganic acids and derivatives *naming of solid phases e.g. non-stoichiometric phases For a simple compound such as AlCl3 the different naming conventions yield the following: *compositional: aluminium trichloride (Sequencing elements—the "electronegativity" list
Throughout the recommendations the use of the electronegativity of elements for sequencing has been replaced by a formal list which is loosely based on electronegativity. The recommendations still use the terms electropositive and electronegative to refer to an element's relative position in this list. A simple rule of thumb ignoring lanthanides and actinides is: *for two elements in different groups—then the element in the higher numbered group has higher "electronegativity" *for two elements within the same group the element with the lower the atomic number has the higher "electronegativity" *Hydrogen is fitted in to be less electronegative than any chalcogen and more electronegative than any pnictogen. Hence the formulae of water and ammonia can be written H2O and NH3 respectively. The full list, from highest to lowest "electronegativity" (with the addition of elements 112 through 118, that had not yet been named in 2005, to their respective groups): * Group 17 in atomic number sequence i.e. F–Ts ''followed by'' * Group 16 in atomic number sequence i.e. O–Lv ''followed by'' * H,Determining the nomenclature to use
Note "treat separately" means to use the decision table on each componentElement names
Sample of indeterminate structure
An indeterminate sample simply takes the element name. For example a sample of carbon (which could be diamond, graphite etc or a mixture) would be named carbon.Specific allotrope
Molecular
*O2 dioxygen (acceptable name oxygen) *O3 trioxygen (acceptable name ozone) *P4 tetraphosphorus (acceptable name white phosphorus) *S6 hexasulfur (acceptable name ε-sulfur) *S8 cyclo-octasulfur (acceptable names for the polymorphic forms are α-sulfur, β-sulfur, γ-sulfur)Crystalline form
This is specified by the element symbol followed by theAmorphous recognised allotropes
Examples include Pn,. red phosphorus ; Asn, amorphous arsenic.Compounds
Compositional names impart little structural information and are recommended for use when structural information is not available or does not need to be conveyed. Stoichiometric names are the simplest and reflect either the empirical formula or the molecular formula. The ordering of the elements follows the formal electronegativity list for binary compounds and electronegativity list to group the elements into two classes which are then alphabetically sequenced. The proportions are specified by di-, tri-, etc. (SeeBinary compounds
In binary compounds the more electropositive element is placed first in the formula. The formal list is used. The name of the most electronegative element is modified to end in -ide and the more electropositive elements name is left unchanged. Taking the binary compound of sodium and chlorine: chlorine is found first in the list so therefore comes last in the name. Other examples are * PCl5 phosphorus pentachloride * Ca2P3 dicalcium triphosphide * NiSn nickel stannide * Cr23C6 tricosachromium hexacarbideTernary compounds and beyond
The following illustrate the principles. The 1:1:1:1 quaternary compound between bromine, chlorine, iodine and phosphorus: * phosphorus bromide chloride iodide (phosphorus is the most electropositive, the others are all designated as electronegative and are sequenced alphabetically) The ternary 2:1:5 compound of antimony, copper and potassium can be named in two ways depending on which are designated as electronegative. *CuK5Sb2 copper pentapotassium diantimonide, (both copper and potassium are designated as electropositive and are sequenced alphabetically) *K5CuSb2 pentapotassium diantimonide cupride (only potassium is designated as electropositive and the two electronegative elements are sequenced alphabetically) (Note the red book shows this example incorrectly)Naming of ions and radicals
Cations
Monatomic cations are named by taking the element name and following it with the charge in brackets e.g * sodium(1+) * chromium(3+) Sometimes an abbreviated form of the element name has to be taken, e.g. germide for germanium as germanide refers to . Polyatomic cations of the same element are named as the element name preceded by di-, tri-, etc., e.g.: * dimercury(2+) Polyatomic cations made up of different elements are named either substitutively or additively, e.g.: * phosphanium * tetrafluorostibanium (substitutive) or tetrafluoridoantimony(1+) * Note that ammonium and oxonium are acceptable names for and respectively. (Hydronium is not an acceptable name for )Anions
Monatomic anions are named as the element modified with an -ide ending. The charge follows in brackets, (optional for 1Radicals
The presence of unpaired electrons can be indicated by a "Naming of hydrates and similar lattice compounds
The use of the term hydrate is still acceptable e.g. Na2SO4Specifying proportions using charge or oxidation state
As an alternative to di-, tri- prefixes either charge or oxidation state can be used. Charge is recommended as oxidation state may be ambiguous and open to debate.Substitutive nomenclature
This naming method generally follows established IUPAC organic nomenclature. Hydrides of the main group elements (groups 13–17) are given ''-ane'' base names, e.g. borane, BH3. Acceptable alternative names for some of the parent hydrides are water rather than oxidane and ammonia rather than azane. In these cases the base name is intended to be used for substituted derivatives. This section of the recommendations covers the naming of compounds containing rings and chains.Base hydrides
Hydrides with non-standard bonding—lambda convention
Where a compound has non standard bonding as compared to the parent hydride for example PCl5 the lambda convention is used. For example: *PCl5 pentachloro-λ5-phosphane *SF6 hexafluoro-λ6-sulfanePolynuclear hydrides
A prefix di-, tri- etc. is added to the parent hydride name. Examples are: *HOOH, dioxidane (hydrogen peroxide is an acceptable name) *H2PPH2, diphosphane *H3SiSiH2SiH2SiH3, tetrasilaneRings and chains
The recommendations describe three ways of assigning "parent" names to homonuclear monocyclic hydrides (i.e single rings consisting of one element): * theBoron hydrides
The stoichiometric name is followed by the number of hydrogen atoms in brackets. For example B2H6, diborane(6). More structural information can be conveyed by adding the "structural descriptor" ''closo''-, ''nido''-, ''arachno''-, ''hypho''-, ''klado''- prefixes.Main group organometallic compounds
Use of substitutive nomenclature is recommended for group 13–16 main group organometallic compounds. Examples are: *AlH2Me named methylalumane *BiI2Ph named diiodo(phenyl)bismuthane For organometallic compounds of groups 1–2 can use additive (indicating a molecular aggregate) or compositional naming. Examples are: * eEtHnamed ethylhydridoberyllium or ethanidohydridoberyllium * 5-C5H5)2">g(η5-C5H5)2named bis(η5-cyclopentadienyl)magnesium, or bis(η5-cyclopentadienido)magnesium * Na(CHCH2) sodium ethenide (compositional name) However the recommendation notes that future nomenclature projects will be addressing these compounds.Additive nomenclature
This naming has been developed principally for coordination compounds although it can be more widely applied. Examples are: *Si(OH)4 tetrahydroxidosilicon (additive), or silanetetrol (substitutive) (note silicic acid is an acceptable name—orthosilicic has been dropped). * 3)5">oCl(NH3)5l2 pentaamminechloridocobalt(2+) chlorideRecommended procedure for naming mononuclear compounds
The recommendations include a flow chart which can be summarised very briefly: *identify the central atom, *identify and name the ligands, *specify coordination mode of ligands i.e. using kappa and/or eta conventions *sequence the ligands *specify coordination geometry i.e polyhedral symbol, configuration index (using CIP rules and absolute configuration for optically active compounds.Ligand names
Anionic ligands
If the anion name ends in -ide then as a ligand its name is changed to end in -o. For example the chloride anion, ClNeutral ligands
Neutral ligands do not change name with the exception of the following: * Water, "aqua" * Ammonia, "ammine" * Carbon monoxide bonded via carbon, "carbonyl" * Nitrogen monoxide bonded via nitrogen, "nitrosyl"Examples of ligand names
Sequence and position of ligands and central atoms
Ligands are ordered alphabetically by name and precede the central atom name. The number of ligands coordinating is indicated by the prefixes di-, tri-, tetra- penta- etc. for simple ligands or bis-, tris-, tetrakis-, etc. for complex ligands. For example: * 3)5">oCl(NH3)5l2 pentaamminechloridocobalt(3+) chloride where ammine (NH3)precedes chloride. The central atom come after the ligands. Where there is more than one central atom it is preceded by di- tri-, tetra- etc. * Os3(CO)12, dodecacarbonyltriosmium Where there are different central atoms they are sequenced using the electronegativity list. * 9">eCo(CO)9nonacarbonylrheniumcobaltBridging ligands—use of μ symbol
Ligands may bridge two or more centres. The prefix μ is used to specify a bridging ligand in both the formula and the name. For example the dimeric form ofBridging index
Where there are more than two centres that are bridged a bridging index is added as a subscript. For example in basic beryllium acetate which can be visualised as a tetrahedral arrangement of Be atoms linked by 6 acetate ions forming a cage with a central oxide anion, the formula and name are as follows: : 4(μ4-O)(μ-O2CMe)6">e4(μ4-O)(μ-O2CMe)6 :hexakis(μ-acetato-κ''O'':κ''O''′)-μ4-oxido-''tetrahedro''-tetraberyllium The μ4 describes the bridging of the central oxide ion. (Note the use of the kappa convention to describe the bridging of the acetate ion where both oxygen atoms are involved.) In the name where a ligand is involved in different modes of bridging, the multiple bridging is listed in decreasing order of complexity, e.g. μ3 bridging before μ2 bridging.Kappa, κ, convention
The kappa convention is used to specify which ligand atoms are bonding to the central atom and in polynuclear species which atoms, both bridged and unbridged, link to which central atom. For monodentate ligands there is no ambiguity as to which atom is forming the bond to the central atom. However when a ligand has more than one atom that can link to a central atom the kappa convention is used to specify which atoms in a ligand are forming a bond. The element atomic symbol is italicised and preceded by kappa, κ. These symbols are placed after the portion of the ligand name that represents the ring, chain etc where the ligand is located. For example: *pentaamminenitrito-κ''O''-cobalt(III) specifies that the nitrite ligand is linking via the oxygen atom Where there is more than one bond formed from a ligand by a particular element a numerical superscript gives the count. For example: * aqua 2''N'',''N''’)tris(acetato-κ''O'')acetato">ethane-1,2-diyldinitrilo-κ2''N'',''N''’)tris(acetato-κ''O'')acetatoobaltate(1-), the cobalt anion formed with water and pentadentateEta, η, convention
The use of η to denote hapticity is systematised. The use of η1 is not recommended. When the specification of the atoms involved is ambiguous the position of the atoms must be specified. This is illustrated by the examples: * Cr(η6-C6H6)2, named as bis(η6-benzene)chromium as all of the (contiguous) atoms in the benzene ligands are involved their position does not have to be specified * 1,2,5,6-η)-cycloocta-1,3,5,7-tetraeneη5-cyclopentadienyl)cobalt in this only two (at positions 1 and 5) of the four double bonds are linked to the central atom.Coordination geometry
For any coordination number above 2 more than one coordination geometry is possible. For example four coordinate coordination compounds can be tetrahedral, square planar, square pyramidal or see-saw shaped. TheOrganometallic groups 3–12
Additive nomenclature is generally recommended for organometallic compounds of groups 3-12 (transition metals and zinc, cadmium and mercury).Metallocenes
Following on fromPolynuclear cluster compounds
Metal-metal bonds
In polynuclear compounds with metal-metal bonds these are shown after the element name as follows: (3 ''Os''—''Os'') in Decacarbonyldihydridotriosmium. A pair of brackets contain a count of the bonds formed (if greater than 1), followed by the italicised element atomic symbols separated by an "em-dash".Polynuclear cluster geometry
The geometries of polynuclear clusters can range in complexity. A descriptor e.g. tetrahedro or the CEP descriptor e.g. ''Td''-(13)-Δ4-''closo''] can be used. this is determined by the complexity of the cluster. Some examples are shown below of descriptors and CEP equivalents. (The CEP descriptors are named for Casey, Evans and Powell who described the system."A descriptor system and principles for numbering closed boron polyhedra with at least one rotational symmetry axis and one symmetry plane". Casey J.B., Evans W.J., Powell W.H. ''Inorg. Chem.'', 20, 5,(1981), 1333–1341 Examples: decacarbonyldimanganese bis(pentacarbonylmanganese)(''Mn''—''Mn'') dodecacarbonyltetrarhodium tri-μ-carbonyl-1:2κ2''C'';1:3κ2''C'';2:3κ2''C''-nonacarbonyl- 1κ2''C'',2κ2''C'',3κ2''C'',4κ3''C''- d-(13)-Δ4-''closo''">'T''d-(13)-Δ4-''closo''tetrarhodium(6 ''Rh''—''Rh'')Inorganic acids
Hydrogen names
The recommendations include a description of hydrogen names for acids. The following examples illustrate the method: * * * (2−) * Note that the difference from the compositional naming method (hydrogen sulfide) as in hydrogen naming there is NO space between the electropositive and electronegative components. This method gives no structural information regarding the position of the hydrons (hydrogen atoms). If this information is to be conveyed then the additive name should be used (see the list below for examples).List of acceptable names
The recommendations give a full list of acceptable names for common acids and related anions. A selection from this list is shown below.Solids
Stoichiometric phases are named compositionally. Non-stoichiometric phases are more difficult. Where possible formulae should be used but where necessary naming such as the following may be used: * (iron deficient) * (carbon excess)Mineral names
Generally mineral names should not be used to specify chemical composition. However a mineral name can be used to specify the structure type in a formula e.g. * (perovskite type)Approximate formulae and variable composition
A simple notation may be used where little information on the mechanism for variability is either available or is not required to be conveyed: *~ (circa or approximately) Where there is a continuous range of composition this can be written e.g., for a mixture of and and for a mixture of and . The recommendation is to use the following generalised method e.g. * for * for Note that cation vacancies in could be described byPoint defects (Kröger–Vink) notation
Point defects, site symmetry and site occupancy can all be described usingPhase nomenclature
To specify the crystal form of a compound or element thePolymorphism
It is recommended that polymorphs are identified (e.g. for where the two forms zincblende (cubic) and wurtzite (hexagonal)), as and respectively.Notes and references
{{Reflist, 2 Chemical nomenclature Inorganic chemistry